How Can I Know that I Belong to God? 1 John 2:3-11; 3:3:7-9

1 John 2:3-11 3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

1 John 2:3-11 7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment – to love one another – is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

1 John 2:3-11 9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. (New Living Translation)

1 John 3:7-9 7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:7-9 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. (New Living Translation)

How We Are Saved . . . You reckon that you are save

Romans 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (New King James Version)

How We Are Saved . . . You reckon that you are save God does the saving and keeping, not you

Ephesians 2:8-9 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (New Living Translation)

2 Timothy 1:12 . . . for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (New King James Version)

How We Are Saved . . . You reckon that you are save God does the saving and keeping, not you Salvation is not based on how you feel, but on what God has done

Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (New Living Translation)

How We Are Saved . . . You reckon that you are save God does the saving and keeping, not you Salvation is not based on how you feel, but on what God has done You cannot fully understand salvation, but you can experience it

John 3:8 . . . Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” (New Living Translation)

Why We Have Doubts . . . You may not be saved

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, . . .” (New King James Version)

Matthew 7:21 “Knowing the correct password – saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance – isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience – doing what my Father wills.” (The Message)

Why We Have Doubts . . . You may not be saved Your lifestyle may cause you doubts

Galatians 5:17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. (New Living Translation, 1st ed.)

Revelation 3:19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. (New Living Translation)

Why We Have Doubts . . . You may not be saved Your lifestyle may cause you doubts Your experience may differ from someone else

1 John 1:7 7 But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin. (The Living Bible)

John 4:23 “But the time is coming – it has, in fact, come – when what you’re called will not matter, and where you go to worship will not matter. It’s who you are, and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is looking out for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship.” (The Message)

What Marks You . . . A repented heart

Luke 13:5 “. . . And you, too, will perish unless you repent.” (The Living Bible)

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. (New Living Translation, 1st ed.)

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin. (New Century Version)

What Marks You . . . A repented heart Obedience to God

1 John 3:23–24 23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. (New Living Translation)

What Marks You . . . A repented heart Obedience to God The bearing of fruit

Matthew 12:33, 37 33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. . . . 37 The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” (New Living Translation, 1st ed.)

What Marks You . . . A repented heart Obedience to God The bearing of fruit Seeking the fellowship of others

Acts 2:44-47 44 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, 45 selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. 46 They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness,

Acts 2:44-47 47 praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved. (The Living Bible)

What Marks You . . . A repented heart Obedience to God The bearing of fruit Seeking the fellowship of others Sharing with others your experience in Christ

Mark 16:15 Jesus said to his followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone. (New Century Version)

How Can I Know that I Belong to God? 1 John 2:3-11; 3:3:7-9